A HISTORIC Christchurch restaurant, rumoured to have once been owned by the lover of Dr Crippen, will be demolished if a planning application to build 10 flats gets the go-ahead.

A scheme to demolish the Crooked Beam in Christchurch and build 10 flats on the site has been submitted to Christchurch council’s planning department by owners Vicki and Simon Hallam.

The couple, who have run the AA rosette restaurant for nearly 10 years, are selling the land to Cube Developments after spending four years trying to market the restaurant to potential new owners.

Vicki Hallam, said “It’s not been a decision we have taken lightly.

“Suffice to say that the last few years have been hard as it is for anyone in the industry.

“Peoples dining experiences and what they are looking for, has changed.

“This site does not really offer the facilities that customers are looking for anymore.

“However, we are heavily involved in Christchurch and we are not looking to go out of the borough and hope to look for new opportunities in Christchurch.”

Planning agent James Roberts, director at Anders Roberts and Associates said the couple had been “chief cook and bottle washer” for a long time.

“They have worked so hard but they just can’t make a living from it”, he said.

“They tried to market the restaurant with commercial agents for about four years but didn’t have any luck.

“They weren’t keen to sell to developers but had no choice. They are incredibly upset by it.”

Mr Roberts said only three objections had so far been lodged.

The flats would be built in a single three-storey building with five two-bedroom flats and five one-bedroom flats.

The Crooked Beam is one of Christchurch’s oldest and most historic restaurants.

Dating back to 1538, it was originally the gate house or lodge to Jumpers House which no longer stands.

The beams – and it does have a crooked one – date back to Domesday, mirroring those in Christchurch Priory.

Officers have yet to make a recommendation on the scheme, which is open to comments until Monday May 20.

The Dr Crippen legend

The Crooked Beam’s link to Dr Crippen’s lover, Ethel Le Neve, has been proven to be nothing more than a legend.

An article by John Peatey on the Christchurch History Society website said the evidence against the famous mistress ever being at the former Jumpers Corner tea rooms, is overwhelming. The urban myth arose from various pieces of misinformation, bogus sightings and seductive coincidences over the years.

For more details go to historychrist church.org/the-crippen-connection-a-christchurch-legend